The time is out of joint; O curs'd spite,That ever I was born to set it right!

Guys, you know this was coming.

You know how some people are very defensive about, I dunno, Justin Bieber, Celtic or Rangers, K-pop...well, I am very defensive about Shakespeare. Or at least about his plays.
Now, hear me out. I know that especially in this age Shakespeare can be really difficult to grasp and also, you know, dead. The main reason for that being how we are introduced to his work. And I can totally understand, that if your first ever encounter with Shakespeare was reading Henry V in the class with an old czech/english teacher, you were absolutely oblivious to what was happening. But I truly belive, that, if you have been introduced to Shakespeare through seeing a good production or even starring in a production, you will probably be a shakespearean for the rest of your life.

Now, for me, I really got into Shakespeare in the first year of high school. I just found the immortal themes of love, betrayal and jealousy that are portrayed in his work, quite fascinating. Also, and this is gonna sound weird and all kinds of cheesy, but his plays helped me get through some tough times.
Since being a freshman was really difficult for me, I found a kind of a shelter in his plays, mainly tragedies. I projected to all of them. I remember pretending to be Hamlet one week of school when I was really stressed out and I just wore black and was overly cynical to everyone. I even sympathized with Iago and with the idea that everyone was against me. Then there was Richard III, Benedick and Beatrice, Biron....

But today, I want to talk to you a bit about the play that influenced me the most and that really got me into Shakespeare. Now, I do not wish to be some kind of "hipster" (whatever that is), but sadly, you´ve probably never heard of it. I am talking about Titus Andronicus.

But before I dive into the play itself, I must confess to you a little secret. I have not yet read the play as it is, I have only seen the brilliant 1999 film adaptation by Julie Taymor. And even though I have not read it , only seen a thousand times, it has already become my favourite.

Saturninus and Titus

Titus Andronicus is the very first Shakespear´s tragedy and it is a true, bloody, senecan one for that matter. 

The main theme of this play is revenge and how it affects all of those involved. It also deals with the idea of obedience to the state, in the form of Titus Andronicus himself, where he would sacrifice just about anything to please the Emperor, the senate and Rome. But really, its just all about the revenge fantasy and how it has no boundaries.

And just so youknow, I won´t be explaining to you the plot, since like in any other Shakespeare play, it is pretty complex. But I have to say that it is very intriguing, and really, kind of a bizarre story, so you should all go and see for yourself.

also, did I mention how beautifully shot the film is?

And this is the moment when my fangirl self has to step in. I could easily describe this play in a few words - pathos, gorey, rapey, some more pathos and brutal. And just for the gorey, brutal and cynic aspect of it, I think its a very current and "edgy" piece of art. To be honest, it kind of surprises me that this play, or the film, doesn´t have some cult following yet and that everytime I search for "titus andronicus" on tumblr, the only thing popping up is some stupid indie band.

And talking about pathos, there is a lot of it and at the end of the play you´ll be probably emotionally wrecked. My favourite scene like this would be probably the mourning of Titus over his mutilated daughter Lavinia.

And that brings me to the characters. All of them are complex and thought out. Except of course, Aaron who is just fundamentally evil. And in the film adaptation "Titus" even the smaller characters have some depth because of the amazing cast. Take Saturninus for example, he is supposed to be the evil, controlling and lazy emperor, but Alan Cumming manages to give him a side that is very weak and just wants to be a good emperor.
Then, besides the tragically beautiful performance of Anthony Hopkins in the role of Titus, the characters of Lavinia and Marcus Andronicus MUST be mentioned.
Now, I don´t really care how crazy I am going to sound, but these two would be like perfect for each other.
(ignoring the fact that Marcus is actually Lavinia´s uncle...)

Let me explain. Lavinia is the fairest lady in Rome, daughter of Titus, and also the girl that gets her hands and tongue cut off by the two biggest assholes ever, Chiron and Demetrius. Her character is quickly portrayed in the beginning of the play since for the rest of the play, she can not talk. She is righteous, innocent, fair - almost like a Roman princess, you could say.
Marcus Andronicus is the Roman Tribune and brother of Titus. He himself, like Lavinia, is not a warrior nor a power hungry vengeful bastard. He is the voice of reason in the chaotic, bloody world that surrounds him. And the only one he wants to avenge is Lavinia.

Therefore I think, these two "lost souls" would be quite perfect for each other.

Yeah. (I am prepare for the hate mail fandom)

So now, you have all the reasons and a one shipping more to watch this brilliant piece of art! And if Romeo and Juliet or Othello wasn´t exactly your cup of tea, I assure you, this will be it.

And next time, I promise I will be back with something a little less text-heavy and "profound".